New to roadsters
- Thread starter Paulh
- Start date
Welcome @Paulh,
Any well maintained BMW will easily last way past 170k miles. I wouldn't personally be be put off by that kind of mileage with a reasonable service history. Great thing about the Z3 is they are easily maintainable by the weekend mechanic.
If you haven't read these two articles, they make a great place to start!
http://zroadster.org/wiki/bmw-z3/general-bmw-z3-information/bmw-z3-basic-history-by-mike-fishwick/
http://zroadster.org/wiki/bmw-z3/ge...mation-for-potential-buyers-by-mike-fishwick/
Good luck with your quest. My first Z3 came as a mid life crisis gift to myself, so I know where you are coming from.
Gary
Any well maintained BMW will easily last way past 170k miles. I wouldn't personally be be put off by that kind of mileage with a reasonable service history. Great thing about the Z3 is they are easily maintainable by the weekend mechanic.
If you haven't read these two articles, they make a great place to start!
http://zroadster.org/wiki/bmw-z3/general-bmw-z3-information/bmw-z3-basic-history-by-mike-fishwick/
http://zroadster.org/wiki/bmw-z3/ge...mation-for-potential-buyers-by-mike-fishwick/
Good luck with your quest. My first Z3 came as a mid life crisis gift to myself, so I know where you are coming from.
Gary
Z
zedonist
Guest
Hi Paul,
Welcome, as Gary has said these are simple cars in reality mechanically, so a good eye for damage and rust is a must, a well maintained example will not rust except for the larger castings / iron work on the underneath which can be treated with hammerite etc, remember these cars are 12 years plus old, testing of the suspension and steering should be very simple. At the other end of the spectrum these cars do have an array of sensors, but you would not expect any dash lights to be illuminated after startup, if there are you will need specialist equipment to read any codes stored.
My suggestion is that if you have found one you like, get a friend to have a look round it with you, as he wont have stars in his eyes, if you are both happy then just get an independent check via the RAC or AA before buying, BMW garages will just charge you a fortune and will undoubtedly find a fault as they need to generate work in the workshops, the RAC or AA don't.
I like Gary am not put off by high miles, just check the the service history, and look for lots of receipts. There are a lot of examples about this time of year, so take your time and find the one that is right for you.
Where is this one for sale?
Welcome, as Gary has said these are simple cars in reality mechanically, so a good eye for damage and rust is a must, a well maintained example will not rust except for the larger castings / iron work on the underneath which can be treated with hammerite etc, remember these cars are 12 years plus old, testing of the suspension and steering should be very simple. At the other end of the spectrum these cars do have an array of sensors, but you would not expect any dash lights to be illuminated after startup, if there are you will need specialist equipment to read any codes stored.
My suggestion is that if you have found one you like, get a friend to have a look round it with you, as he wont have stars in his eyes, if you are both happy then just get an independent check via the RAC or AA before buying, BMW garages will just charge you a fortune and will undoubtedly find a fault as they need to generate work in the workshops, the RAC or AA don't.
I like Gary am not put off by high miles, just check the the service history, and look for lots of receipts. There are a lot of examples about this time of year, so take your time and find the one that is right for you.
Where is this one for sale?
Mid life crisis!I love it ,i've been having mine since i was 25,28 years later still going strong best time of your life make the most of it.If its a choice between boring or anything above mildly exiting,work or fun, make sure you make the right choice .
Same here.
My midlife crisis started 9 year ago....I was 28...then I started building the cobra...now the Z3 for racing...my wife already asked me what would be next
Koen
My midlife crisis started 9 year ago....I was 28...then I started building the cobra...now the Z3 for racing...my wife already asked me what would be next
Koen
Don N
Dedicated Member
Welcome Paul!
I know the feeling of needing that little mid-life reward. (I'm 66) I picked up my '97 2.8 Z3 in November. So far, it's been rock-solid, and even enjoyed a 400 mile day with the local BMW club doing some VERY spirited driving along the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia with some much newer and track-able V8 M3's and a 1975 Bavaria sedan (3.0 litre). Nothing broke or fell off. Now, I trust the car.
I bought my Z3 from a used car lot; it was a roll of the dice, but I found a list of things to look for in a used Z3:
The coolant tank tends to crack, along with the plastic radiator "top", which is actually the right end of the radiator (it's cross-flow).
The water pump often leaks, and the leak can l be observed with a small dental mirror, as the crack occurs on the back of it.
The rear shock mounts can crack
The differential mount can crack, although it's a very thick piece of metal - it would take some real abuse to crack it.
Look at the rubber parts under the car - CV joint covers, steering rack covers, etc.
Check for any leaks underneath.
It' a relatively short list. MUCH shorter than the list you would try to check on a Boxster, if you could actually see any of these things - I looked at 6 of them before I got scared off by the PPB system (Porsche Personal Bankruptcy)!
I'm not sure of your location, but here in the US, Z3's are not that rare. It would seem that you could find an example with far less than 170000 miles. Certainly, a well maintained BMW can go much further than 170000 miles, but miles are miles. Theoretically, the price you could pay should reflect the high mileage.
Good luck and enjoy the hunt!
I know the feeling of needing that little mid-life reward. (I'm 66) I picked up my '97 2.8 Z3 in November. So far, it's been rock-solid, and even enjoyed a 400 mile day with the local BMW club doing some VERY spirited driving along the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia with some much newer and track-able V8 M3's and a 1975 Bavaria sedan (3.0 litre). Nothing broke or fell off. Now, I trust the car.
I bought my Z3 from a used car lot; it was a roll of the dice, but I found a list of things to look for in a used Z3:
The coolant tank tends to crack, along with the plastic radiator "top", which is actually the right end of the radiator (it's cross-flow).
The water pump often leaks, and the leak can l be observed with a small dental mirror, as the crack occurs on the back of it.
The rear shock mounts can crack
The differential mount can crack, although it's a very thick piece of metal - it would take some real abuse to crack it.
Look at the rubber parts under the car - CV joint covers, steering rack covers, etc.
Check for any leaks underneath.
It' a relatively short list. MUCH shorter than the list you would try to check on a Boxster, if you could actually see any of these things - I looked at 6 of them before I got scared off by the PPB system (Porsche Personal Bankruptcy)!
I'm not sure of your location, but here in the US, Z3's are not that rare. It would seem that you could find an example with far less than 170000 miles. Certainly, a well maintained BMW can go much further than 170000 miles, but miles are miles. Theoretically, the price you could pay should reflect the high mileage.
Good luck and enjoy the hunt!
Buy it
Drive it
Enjoy it
Fuel consumption what is that
Woody100
Zorg Legend
It is not for sale one as I have taken he plunge as it was a bargain!
May need some spare parts or it such as a drivers wing mirror etc, but I am having it mechanically looked over on Friday, the money saved on he price can be spent on sprucing it up!
But this site looks great and seams very friendly!!!
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Z
zedonist
Guest
No worries Paul, as i am local i was going to offer to have a look at it for you, not buy it! Spent enough on mine.
Taking the plunge is the first step, and once you have had it looked over you will know where you stand and can then plan your future with the car rather than wait in anticipation of something going wrong.
Any help you need on fixing and upgrading, then just ask, most of us have done nearly everything that can be done / fixed and be able to offer advice.
Rich
I started my late life crises about four years ago and then went out and bought my first roadster a Z3 individual and loved it, then because it took over my
life, i changed it for the Alpina. Whats good about these cars is the friends you make and meeting up at events that are organised frequently over the summer months,
got to know so many people since owning one of these.
life, i changed it for the Alpina. Whats good about these cars is the friends you make and meeting up at events that are organised frequently over the summer months,
got to know so many people since owning one of these.
Thanks, it's good to know there are good people about!